U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,941 discloses a printed circuit board header which comprises a housing having annular cavities therein arranged in a row. Two parallel passages in communication with each of the annular cavities open to the rear surface of the housing with one of the passages being located in the center of the cavity and the other of the passages being in alignment with the wall of the cavity. A center contact member is disposed in each of the center passages and includes a front contact section disposed in the cavity and a rear contact section that is bent at right angles for disposition into a hole of the printed circuit board and electrical connection with a signal path thereon. A metal sleeve is disposed in engagement with the walls of each of the cavities and includes a rear contact member that extends through the other passage and is bent at right angles forward of the rear contact section of the center contact member for disposition in another hole of the printed circuit board and electrical connection with a ground path thereon, the rear contact sections and the rear contact members being in alignment. The housing thus serves as the dielectric spacer between the signal and ground contact members in the formation of the coaxial sockets which electrically mate with complementary coaxial plugs disposed in a matable housing that latches to the coaxial socket housing.
In this construction, the front ends of the coaxial plugs are not protected and are susceptible to damage; the impedance is not properly matched because the housing serves as the dielectric between the signal and ground contacts; and, if a signal or ground contact is damaged, repair would be time-consuming and difficult.